Churu for the Angry Guide

Chapter 70

Team Leader Yoon, Siwoo’s superior, had recently found fewer reasons to frown. With Siwoo, who had been his biggest headache since taking on the role of Guide Team Leader, gone, he felt much more at ease.

It was a happy thing. Of course I was happy, but…

“Why hasn’t this guy contacted us?”

It had been over two weeks with no news from Siwoo or the Baekya Guild. He tried to convince himself that no news is good news, but it wasn’t easy to stop worrying.

To make matters worse, the last time he saw Siwoo, he was in a hospital gown, which made him even more concerned. Although it was just the gown and the space he stayed in was a VIP room comparable to a suite, he was still a patient.

“Enough. Enough. Why should I care about someone who doesn’t even bother to contact us?”

Believing that if there had been a problem, they would have been contacted long ago, he tried to focus on his work. He had many other new recruits to oversee besides Siwoo. Thinking this, he calmly sat at his desk and was about to open some documents when…

“No, he should at least let us know that he’s been discharged.”

He closed the documents and took out his phone with a deep sigh. He wanted to give Siwoo a flick on the forehead for not contacting them even once despite the wait. In fact, he had already tried calling a few times, but all calls were ignored. He couldn’t contact the Baekya Guild because there was no way to reach them. They were not easily accessible.

“I’m really going crazy with curiosity.”

If Siwoo had become the exclusive guide for the Baekya Guild, there was no way the center would be this quiet. If a rookie guide with no experience, and a cat beastkin at that, were to be in charge of the Baekya Guild, it would surely cause an uproar.

Of course, the idea that Siwoo might join the Baekya Guild was just Team Leader Yoon’s imagination. He was indulging in all sorts of fantasies on his own.

At first, he had hoped for Siwoo to have a good connection with the Baekya Guild, but now he felt differently. After much thought, Team Leader Yoon was hoping that Siwoo hadn’t joined the Baekya Guild.

It was because he knew Siwoo’s personality. He had observed Siwoo’s most sensitive and prickly behavior up close for several months as he moved from guild to guild. He was certain that given Siwoo’s personality, he wouldn’t last a week before being kicked out.

Even if he had a high matching rate with the leader, who was a mental Esper. How high could it be anyway?

In any case, if by some chance Siwoo had joined the Baekya Guild and then got kicked out in a few days as usual, the repercussions would be on a whole different level compared to other guilds.

That’s what Team Leader Yoon was worried about. The public perception of cat beastkin was already not good, and if things ended badly after being involved with the Baekya Guild, it was clear that all arrows would point at Siwoo.

Guide Han Siwoo wasn’t the type to ignore and move past such criticism. It was obvious he would leave the center in tatters.

“…That wouldn’t be so bad either.”

Team Leader Yoon rolled his eyes and lightly rubbed his chin. He hoped that Siwoo would rather leave the center and do some ordinary job that he could handle alone. Siwoo was never cut out to mix with others.

Maybe he had already left the center.

Team Leader Yoon opened the window wide to ease his heavy thoughts. It was the same window Siwoo had jumped out of.

Remembering how Siwoo had fearlessly jumped from the fifth floor of the building, he clicked his tongue and pressed his phone screen. Leaning on the windowsill and scanning the bright summer landscape, he called Siwoo. He needed to check if he was at least alive, even if he had left the center.

Riiiing― The prolonged connection tone fueled his anxiety. He decided not to think too negatively, believing that the Baekya Guild wouldn’t harm a young rookie guide.

Surely not. After all, it’s the Baekya Guild.

“…”

Team Leader Yoon, who had been focusing on the connection tone, suddenly narrowed his eyes. He felt a strange gaze from the large zelkova tree right in front of the building.

Even though all he could see were lush green leaves and branches.

Team Leader Yoon tilted his head and carefully examined the leafy tree with an uneasy feeling. With his mood in shambles, everything looked suspicious.

* * *

Beep beep.

“Finally!”

Siwoo threw up both hands after checking the thermometer display. 37.4 degrees Celsius. At last, his temperature had dropped to normal.

Siwoo quickly took a picture of the thermometer screen with the phone tucked away in the corner of the desk. It was to send to Geonho.

“Is this enough now, you brat?”

Geonho had absolutely forbidden Siwoo from working until his fever had completely subsided. With everyone agreeing with him, Siwoo had no choice but to spend three whole days idling. All he had done during that time was eat, play, sleep, and eat some more.

For the first time in his life, he realized that when people only play, their bodies become sluggish and their minds uncomfortable. Siwoo found himself wanting to start work quickly. It seemed that was the only way he could receive his salary with a clear conscience.

After sending the photo to Geonho, Siwoo tossed the phone away again. Knowing that Geonho, like himself, rarely checked his phone, he expected a late reply. Geonho was in the middle of work right now.

Bzzzz―

However, unexpectedly, there was an immediate response. Siwoo picked up the phone right away, thinking it might be a call from Geonho.

“What is it now?”

But the caller wasn’t Geonho. It was a call from an unsaved number.

Siwoo ignored all unknown numbers. He stopped paying attention to the phone and instead picked up the pad given to him by the secretary.

He could finally start working now. Siwoo sat at the desk with an excited feeling. His room had already acquired many new pieces of furniture.

Not only was there a desk and wardrobe placed where the window was clearly visible, but also a side table, TV, and even a cat tower. The cat tower had been brought by Kang Geonho. It was typical of someone who liked cats.

Siwoo pushed the snacks scattered on the desk to the corner and opened the pad. All kinds of snacks were piled up on the desk, bed, and side table.

As expected, they were all brought by Kang Geonho. Despite being told not to bring them, that guy had piled up snacks within arm’s reach of Siwoo. As a result, Siwoo’s room had turned into a snack paradise.

“Schedule… here it is.”

Siwoo opened the schedule app that the secretary had shown him while peeling a banana. Immediately, the August calendar popped up.

He marveled at the pad he was using for the first time, chewing on a mouthful of banana. Thanks to the secretary’s detailed explanation beforehand, there was nothing difficult about it.

“Wavelength values, check.”

Within the schedule app used only by the center, the Espers’ wavelength values were updated in real-time. The guiding order was adjusted based on these values according to necessity.

Only the guiding order was set, and Siwoo decided everything else. The time, extent of contact, and even the location.

Siwoo carefully examined the wavelength values of each Esper one by one. Amazingly, it was possible to check even their heart rate, stress index, and fatigue level.

Siwoo chuckled as he first checked Geonho’s values. While his wavelength value was relatively high, his stress and fatigue levels were exceptionally low. As a result, he was far down on the guiding priority list.

Next, he checked Seojun, who he thought might not be in great condition. For reference, the leader’s information was not registered. When asked why, he was told that the secretary separately monitored the leader’s condition.

He had been informed that he didn’t need to worry about guiding the leader for the time being. Although it was impossible not to be concerned, Siwoo just said he understood. If they said they didn’t want it, what could he do?

“I knew this would happen.”

Siwoo shook his head as he looked at Seojun’s high stress index. As expected, it was well above average. It was natural for stress to increase when hiding one’s true nature every day.

Siwoo let out a shallow sigh and unwrapped a chocolate. It seemed the youngest would need to receive guiding first. The stress index needed to be managed as carefully as the wavelength value. He had learned that wavelengths rise even faster in a high-stress state.

“Huh?”

He had naturally thought he should guide Seojun first, but the person listed first on the calendar wasn’t Seojun.

“Why is Yoo Jihan…”

The person who seemed the most fine was assigned to the first slot. Just this morning, he had been joking around annoyingly, saying he was off to make money.

As he was scratching his chin, perplexed by this unexpected person, there was a knock.

Knock knock.

“Are you in there?”

Surprisingly, Seojun had come to his room. It was the first time since Siwoo’s first day in the dormitory.

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

Siwoo flatly refused and moved to the bed with the pad. He was busy now. He needed to decide when to meet with Jihan, who was first in line for guiding.

Although he was first in line, it wasn’t an urgent state for guiding. It seemed like it could be done tomorrow, but… he should do it right away today.

“Hey! I said you can’t come in!”

Siwoo’s face turned fierce as he saw the door slowly opening.

“Then you should have locked the door.”

Seojun shamelessly poked his face through the gap in the door. Siwoo yelled loudly for him to get out, breathing heavily.

“I’m about to eat now.”

“So what! Get lost!”

“I bought too much. I thought the hyungs would eat together.”

Seojun seemed used to Siwoo’s angry outbursts. When shouting didn’t work, Siwoo threw a pillow. Even that, Seojun caught skillfully and nodded his head outside the door.

“Come out if you want to eat. The hyungs said they’ll be late.”

Siwoo glared at Seojun with an irritated face but got up from the bed anyway. It was almost dinner time.

“You put the pillow back.”

He tried to leave the room first, passing the responsibility to Seojun after throwing it himself. Then Seojun subtly blocked Siwoo’s way.

“Has your fever gone down completely?”

Siwoo’s complexion had improved a lot. Perhaps due to eating well, his skin even had a glow. It seemed like he had even gained a bit of weight.

“Yes, it’s all gone.”

As if he had been waiting for this question, Siwoo held his head high proudly.

“Now I can work.”